Reusable apparatus for protecting a corner of a picture frame during transport and/or storage

ABSTRACT

A reusable corner protect for a large picture frame made of expanded polystyrene foam (EPF) having a flat surface on a first side with an opening defined through the flat surface. The opening is configured to receive a joint of the picture frame. The opening receives a first end of the frame along a longitudinal axis of the flat surface and a second end of the frame along the longitudinal axis of the flat surface distal from the first end. A first sidewall of the opening slopes into the housing from the first end of the opening at a substantially acute angle with the flat surface. A second sidewall of the opening slopes into the housing from the second end of the opening towards the first sidewall at a substantially acute angle with the flat surface.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to an apparatus for protecting a picture frame for a picture or portrait during transport and/or storage. More particularly, this invention relates to a reusable apparatus for placing over a corner of the picture frame during transport and storage.

PRIOR ART

Pictures, such as paintings and portraits, are generally displayed in a picture frame to improve the aesthetics of the pictures. These picture frames are often constructed of thin, delicate strips of material designed to surround the picture. The strips of materials may have intricate structures affixed to or embedded in the strips. Due to the thinness of the material and the intricacy of the structures, picture frames are often fragile. Because the picture frames are fragile, makers and sellers of picture frames are often concerned about the handling of the frames during transport and/or storage of the frames. One of the greatest costs for makers and sellers of picture frames is the repair of frames and contents of the frames due to damage incurred to the frames during shipping.

Damage is typically not a concern for smaller picture frames as the frames and the contents of the frame can be adequately surrounded by packing material, such as wrapping bubbles and Styrofoam to prevent damage. However, the protection of larger picture frames in problematic. The size of these picture frames makes the joints of the strips, such as corners, particularly vulnerable to damage from impacts against the frames and punctures from surrounding objects.

In the past, conventional packing material has been used to prevent damage. However, these materials have proven to be ineffective in preventing damage. For example, Styrofoam does have sufficient rigidity to prevent twisting of the frame and to absorb the force of an impact. As such, those skilled in the art are constantly striving to find devices and methods of packing that will protect these larger frames during transport and storage.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The above and other problems are solved and an advance in the art is made by an apparatus in accordance with this invention. One advantage of embodiments in accordance with this invention is that a structure is sufficiently rigid to prevent twisting of a picture frame and or punctures to frame and/or contents. A second advantage of embodiments in accordance with this invention is that the structure is made of a material that can absorb some of the force of an impact. A third advantage of embodiments in accordance with this invention is that the material of the structure is pliable enough to allow cutting of the structure to resize the structure to better surround a corner or joint of the frame. This allows the structure to be customized to fit frames of different sizes. A fourth advantage of embodiments in accordance with this invention is that the structure may be one integral piece made using an injection mold reducing the cost and time of manufacture of the structure. A fifth advantage of embodiments in accordance embodiments with this invention is that additional protective materials may be placed around the picture and/or over the protector. A sixth advantage in accordance with embodiments of this invention is that the protectors in accordance with embodiments of this invention are reusable.

The above and other advantages in accordance embodiments of this invention are provided by a described embodiment configured in the following manner. The apparatus includes a housing made of PVC. One side of the housing has a flat surface. An opening is defined through the flat surface. The opening is configured to receive a joint of a picture frame. A first end of the opening is along a longitudinal axis of the flat surface and a second end of the opening is along the longitudinal axis of the flat surface distal from the first end of the opening. A first sidewall of the opening slopes into the housing from the first end of the opening at a substantially acute angle with the flat surface. A second sidewall of the opening slopes into the housing from the second end of the opening towards the first sidewall at a substantially acute angle with the flat surface.

In accordance with some embodiments the housing is formed of one integral piece of PVC. In accordance with some of these embodiments, the housing includes a first leg, a second leg, a first external sidewall and a second external sidewall. The first leg side extends from a first end of the flat surface at one end of the longitudinal axis of the flat surface. The second leg side extends from a second end of the flat surface at a second end of the longitudinal axis and intersects the first leg side. The first external sidewall extends between a first edge of each of the flat surface, the first leg side, and second leg side such that the first external wall is substantially in the shape of a triangle. The second external sidewall extends between a second edge of each of the flat surface, the first leg side, and the second leg side such that the second external wall is substantially in the shape of a triangle. In accordance with some of these embodiments, the triangles of the first and second external sidewalls are right triangles. In accordance with some of these embodiments, the first and second external sidewalls are substantially equal in longitudinal length. In accordance with some of these embodiments the housing is substantially in a shape of a right triangle where the first and second external sidewalls are legs of the right triangle and the flat surface is a hypotenuse of the right triangle.

In accordance with some embodiments of this invention, the housing may be split into two equal halves along a plane of the longitudinal axis of the flat surface. This allows the apparatus to be expanded to receive thicker objects. In accordance with some other embodiments of this invention, the housing may be split into two equal halves along the latitudinal axis of the flat surface. In accordance with still other embodiments, a sidewall of a first housing may be removed to cover one side of a joint of a picture frame and a sidewall of a second housing may be removed to cover a second side of the joint of the picture frame.

In accordance with some embodiments of this invention, the housing is substantially in a shape of a right triangle where the first and second leg sides define legs of said right triangle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other features and advantages of embodiments in accordance with this invention are described in the following detailed description and are shown in the following drawings:

FIG. 1 illustrating a side perspective view of an embodiment in accordance with invention; and

FIG. 2 illustrating a front perspective view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This invention relates to a reusable apparatus for protecting a frame for a picture or portrait during transport and/or storage. More particularly, this invention relates to a reusable apparatus for placing over a corner of the frame during transport and storage.

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate an embodiment of a reusable corner protector for a large picture frame in accordance with this invention. For purposes of this invention a picture frame is a frame used to enclose a portrait, painting, or any other picture. Furthermore, a large picture frame includes frames larger than 5 feet by 7 feet. One will recognize that other sizes may be accommodated by modifying the housing to fit around the corners of larger and/or smaller picture frames. The illustrated corner protector comprises housing 100. Housing 100 is made of Expanded Polystyrene Foam (EPF). One skilled in the art will recognize that material having the same material properties of EPF may be used without departing with this invention. In order to maintain stability and integrity of housing 100, housing 100 is preferably made of one integral piece of EPF material. Preferably, the walls of housing 100 are substantially 1 inch thick or thicker. This gives housing sufficient thickness to protect against punctures and to absorb most forces or shocks caused by dropping a picture frame or pushing anther object against the frame during transport and/or storage. The use of one integral piece of EPF allows housing 100 to be formed using a mold and/or injection molding the EPF material into the form of housing 100. The use of injection molding reduces the cost and r time needed to produce housing 100. One skilled in the art will recognize that housing 100 may be formed of more than one discrete pieces affixed together by an epoxy or in another manner without departing from this invention.

Housing 100 includes at least one flat surface 135. Opening 105 is defined within flat surface 105 and extends into housing 100. Opening 105 is configured to receive a joint of a large picture frame. For purposes of this discussion, a joint of a picture frame is a corner or other intersection of two strips of material comprising the frame. First sidewall 120 and second sidewall 125 of opening 105 are at opposing ends of flat surface 135 along the longitudinal axis of flat surface 135. First and second sidewalls 120 and 125 extend into housing 105 towards one another into housing 105 at an acute angle with respect to flat surface 135. Third and fourth sidewalls 140 and 145 span between opposing sides of first and second sidewalls 120 and 125 in planes substantially parallel to a plane including the longitudinal axis of flat surface 135. Preferably, first and second sidewalls 120 and 125 intersect to form opening 105 in a shape of a triangle. More preferably, the triangle formed is a right triangle. This allows opening 105 to receive a corner of a frame with each sidewall being substantially parallel to adjacent strip of the frame. This causes flat surface 135 to diagonally bisect the strips of the frame. Furthermore, opening 105 has sufficient room in some embodiments for other packing materials such as cardboard, Styrofoam, and the like to be placed in the opening 105 adjacent the picture joint to protect the picture frame and/or contents of the frame from punctures and the like. Furthermore, one skilled in the art will recognize that packing material may be placed over housing 100 to hold housing 100 in place over a joint and/or to add more protection from punctures and/or to absorb shocks.

In the shown embodiment, housing 100 is in the shape of a right triangle. A right triangle is preferable to allow two corners protectors to be used to stand a held large picture. In the right triangle, first and second leg sidewalls 150 and 155 form the legs of the right triangle and flat surface 135 is the hypotenuse. Preferably, first and second external sidewalls 150 and 155 are approximately equal in length. One skilled in the art will recognize that housing 100 may be used without departing with this invention. All that is required is that housing 100 includes flat surface 135 as described above. For example, the side of housing 105 opposite flat surface 135 may rounded or curved to better absorb impacts. In the shown embodiment, first and second leg sidewalls 150 and 155 extend out from opposing longitudinal ends of flat surface 135 towards one another. As shown, first and second leg sidewalls 150 and 155 intersect one another at a right angle to form the right triangle. Sidewalls 110 and 115 are in the shape of right triangles and extend between, first and second leg sidewalls 150 and 155; and flat surface 135. In the shown embodiment, the preferred dimensions are as follows: 

What is claimed is: 1-11. (canceled)
 12. An apparatus for protecting a picture frame comprising: a housing made of expanded polystyrene foam (EPF) having a flat surface on a first side with an opening defined through said flat surface wherein said opening configured to receive a joint of said picture frame having a first end of said frame along a longitudinal axis of said flat surface and a second end of said frame along said longitudinal axis of said flat surface distal from said first end, a first sidewall of said opening sloping into said housing from said first end of said opening at a substantially acute angle with said flat surface and a second sidewall of said opening sloping into said housing from said second end of said opening towards said first sidewall at a substantially acute angle with said flat surface.
 13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein said housing formed of one integral piece of EPF.
 14. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein said housing further comprises: a first leg side extending from a first end of said flat surface at one end of said longitudinal axis; a second leg side extending from a second end of said flat surface at a second end of said longitudinal axis wherein said second side intersects said first leg side; a first external sidewall extend between a first edge of each of said flat surface, said first leg side, and second leg sides such that said first external wall is substantially in the shape of a triangle; and a second external sidewall extend between a second edge of each of said flat surface, said first leg side, and second leg sides such that said first external wall is substantially in the shape of a triangle.
 15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said triangles of said first and second external sidewalls are right triangles.
 16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein said first and second leg sides are substantially equal in longitudinal length.
 17. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein said housing is substantially in a shape of a right triangle wherein said first and second leg sides are legs of said right triangle and said flat surface is a hypotenuse of said right triangle.
 18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein said first and second leg sides are substantially equal in length along a longitudinal axis of said first and second leg sides.
 19. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein said housing is split into two equal halves along a plane of said longitudinal axis of said flat surface to accommodate a thicker picture frame.
 20. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein said housing is split into two equal halves along a plane of a latitudinal axis of said flat surface to accommodate a thicker picture frame.
 21. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein a sidewall of said housing is removed to accommodate a thicker picture frame.
 22. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein said opening in said housing is substantially in a shape of a right triangle where said first and second sides define legs of said right triangle. 